1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to deposition and crystallization of materials onto a substrate.
2. Background Information
Crystallized materials have possible applications when applied to substrates. For many applications, the crystallized materials may need to be manufactured into layers or films on substrates. The quality of the crystallized material (i.e., level of crystallization, uniformity, thickness, continuity (number of defects) and other such properties) may affect the performance of the crystallized material and/or the substrate. In addition, some of these properties may be enhanced when the films are thin.
The technique or fabrication method used in preparing a crystallized compound layer or film may be selected based on a tradeoff of certain properties. For example, some fabrication methods may be suitable for producing very thin crystallized material films, but with low uniformity. Other processes may provide better uniformity, but may not be capable of achieving very thin films, and still other processes may require high temperatures to crystallize the film material, limiting the substrates which may be used.
Additionally, it may also be desirable for crystallized material to be distributed patternwise on a substrate. Applying crystalline material patternwise to a substrate may require aggressive methods of treatment. Those aggressive methods may include material deposition on the entire substrate followed by selective etching. This selective etching may adversely affect other components of the system. Other patterning methods may include the use of shadow masks or stencils, which may be slow and expensive. The subject matter described below may address one or more of these issues.